Failure by UN Council to Condemn Israel is Termed a Vindication of the Entebbe Rescue Operation

July 16, 1976

UNITED NATIONS (Jul. 15)

Israeli diplomats at the United Nations said the failure of the Security Council yesterday to condemn Israel for its rescue operation in Uganda is a “victory” for Israel and a vindication of the operation that saved the lives of more than 100 hostages held at gunpoint by pro-Palestinian terrorists at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Chaim Herzog, in a statement after the adjournment of the Council, said: “The Security Council was convened in order to condemn Israel. Israel has not been condemned and has been thereby vindicated.”

Noting that the debate centered around the problem of hijacking and international terrorism, the Israeli envoy said: “Little wonder, therefore, that most of the Arab states and the PLO were too embarrassed to take part in the debate.” Herzog added that the failure of the Council to adopt a British-American resolution against international terrorism “revealed once again what decent freedom-loving people can expect from the UN.

AFRICANS WITHDRAW RESOLUTION

The four-day angry debate at the Council ended with a stalemate last night after the African states withdrew their resolution that called for the condemnation of Israel for violating Uganda’s sovereignty, and a rival British-American resolution condemning hijacking and international terrorism received only six votes, three short of the number necessary for adoption.

The Africans withdrew their proposed resolution–Jointly sponsored by Libya, Tanzania and Benin–after it became clear that the one-sided resolution would not receive the minimum nine affirmative votes needed for adoption. In addition, had the resolution received the required votes. It would certainly have been vetoed by the U.S.

Voting for the British-American resolution, which called on the Council to condemn hijacking and urged all governments to “prevent and punish all such terrorist acts,” were Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Sweden and Japan. Rumania and Panama abstained. China, Guyana, Libya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Benin and the Soviet Union did not take part in the vote.